Textured glass component for an electronic device enclosure

ABSTRACT

The disclosure provides textured glass components as well as electronic device cover assemblies and enclosures which include the textured glass components. In some cases, a protruding portion of the glass component includes a textured region provided over a camera assembly of the electronic device. One or more openings may be provided in the textured region. The textured region may be configured to provide a translucent or hazy appearance to the electronic device while providing a desirable “feel” to the electronic device and level of cleanability.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a non-provisional patent application of and claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/857,613, filedJun. 5, 2019, and titled “Electronic Device Enclosure Having a TexturedGlass Component,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

FIELD

The described embodiments relate generally to electronic deviceenclosures that include textured glass components. More particularly,the present embodiments relate to textured glass components, coverassemblies, and enclosures for electronic devices.

BACKGROUND

Enclosures for electronic devices may traditionally be formed from avariety of components. Some traditional enclosures are formed fromplastic or metal materials, which may be shaped and textured using atraditional molding or a machining technique. However, it may be moredifficult to texture or shape enclosure components formed from a brittlematerial such as a glass. The techniques and articles described hereinare directed to forming a texture and other surface features on a glasscomponent of an enclosure.

SUMMARY

Textured glass components for electronic devices are disclosed herein.In some cases, a textured glass component such as a glass cover membermay have a texture configured to provide a desired appearance to anexterior surface of the electronic device. For example, a glass covermember may have a texture configured to provide a particular gloss leveland/or translucence level. The texture may also be configured to providea particular “feel” to the electronic device, to be readily cleaned, orboth.

As an example, the textured region of a glass component may be providedover a camera assembly of the electronic device. One or more openingsmay be provided in the textured region of the glass component tofacilitate positioning of an optical module such as a camera module. Anopening may also facilitate input or output to elements of the opticalmodule. In some cases, the portion of the glass component including thetextured region may be thicker than another portion of the glasscomponent.

The disclosure provides an electronic device comprising a display, anenclosure at least partially surrounding the display, and a cameraassembly. The enclosure comprises a front cover assembly including afront glass member positioned over the display and a rear coverassembly. The rear cover assembly includes a rear glass member defininga protruding portion. The protruding portion defines an opening and atextured region having gloss value less than about 50 as measured at 60degrees. The camera assembly is coupled to an interior surface of therear cover assembly and includes a camera module positioned at leastpartially within the opening.

In addition, the disclosure provides an electronic device comprising anenclosure including a cover member formed from a glass material and acamera assembly coupled to the interior surface of the cover member. Thecover member defines an exterior surface comprising a raised regiondefining a first texture comprising surface features having a root meansquare height from about 0.2 microns to about 2 microns and a baseregion defining a second texture different than the first texture, theraised region protruding with respect to the base region. The covermember further defines a through-hole extending from the raised regionto an interior surface of the cover member. The camera assemblycomprises a camera module positioned at least partially in thethrough-hole.

Further, the disclosure provides an electronic device comprising anenclosure including a front cover assembly comprising a front glassmember, a rear cover assembly comprising a rear glass member, a cameraassembly coupled to an interior surface of the rear cover assembly, anda display positioned below the front cover assembly. The rear coverassembly comprises a first glass portion having a first thickness anddefining a textured region having a translucent appearance and definingsurface features having a mean peak curvature (SSc) ranging from about0.5 microns⁻¹ to about 2 microns⁻¹ and a root mean square slope (Sdq)from about 0.1 to about 1. The first glass portion further defines anopening positioned in the textured region. The rear cover assemblyfurther comprises a second glass portion at least partially surroundingthe first glass portion and having a second thickness less than thefirst thickness. The camera assembly comprises a camera modulepositioned at least partially within the opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like elements.

FIG. 1A shows front view of an example electronic device including atextured glass component.

FIG. 1B shows a rear view of the electronic device of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A shows a partial cross-section view of an electronic device.

FIG. 2B shows a detail view of one portion of a cover assembly of anelectronic device.

FIG. 2C shows a detail view of another portion of the cover assembly ofan electronic device.

FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-section view of an electronic device.

FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-section view of a textured glass covermember of an electronic device.

FIG. 5 shows a detailed cross-section view of a textured region of aglass cover member of an electronic device.

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of an example process for forming a texturedglass cover component.

FIG. 7 schematically shows a textured glass cover member after chemicalstrengthening.

FIG. 8 schematically shows an additional textured glass cover memberafter chemical strengthening.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a sample electronic device that canincorporate a textured glass component.

The use of cross-hatching or shading in the accompanying figures isgenerally provided to clarify the boundaries between adjacent elementsand also to facilitate legibility of the figures. Accordingly, neitherthe presence nor the absence of cross-hatching or shading conveys orindicates any preference or requirement for particular materials,material properties, element proportions, element dimensions,commonalities of similarly illustrated elements, or any othercharacteristic, attribute, or property for any element illustrated inthe accompanying figures.

Additionally, it should be understood that the proportions anddimensions (either relative or absolute) of the various features andelements (and collections and groupings thereof) and the boundaries,separations, and positional relationships presented therebetween, areprovided in the accompanying figures merely to facilitate anunderstanding of the various embodiments described herein and,accordingly, may not necessarily be presented or illustrated to scale,and are not intended to indicate any preference or requirement for anillustrated embodiment to the exclusion of embodiments described withreference thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodimentsillustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood thatthe following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments toone preferred implementation. To the contrary, the described embodimentsare intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents ascan be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure and asdefined by the appended claims.

The following disclosure relates to textured glass components forelectronic devices. A textured region of a glass component, such as aglass cover member or a glass member, may be configured to provide adesired appearance to an exterior surface of an electronic device. Inaddition, the texture may be configured to provide a particular “feel”to the electronic device, to be readily cleaned, or both. The texturedglass component may be chemically strengthened to enhance its resistanceto impact and/or bending.

In some embodiments, a glass component may have a texture configured toprovide certain properties while minimizing other properties which areless desirable. For example, the texture may be configured to haveroughness parameters which provide particular levels of opticalproperties such as gloss and/or transmissive haze, while avoiding anoverly rough or sharp “feel.” The texture may provide a balance offunctionality. For example, increasing the value of a roughnessparameter to reduce the gloss or increase the haziness of the surfacemay, in some cases, provide an overly rough “feel” or undesirably reducethe cleanability of the surface. In some cases, different regions of theglass component may have different textures in order to providedifferent properties to the different regions.

The textured region of the glass component, such as a glass cover memberor glass member, may produce a semi-gloss or a low gloss effect. Forexample, the gloss may be less than about 50 gloss units, less thanabout 40 gloss units, from 5 gloss units to 50 gloss units, from 10gloss units to 50 gloss units, or from 10 gloss units to 45 gloss unitsas measured at 60 degrees.

The textured region of a glass component may produce a translucent orhazy effect. The transmissive haze may relate to the amount of lightsubject to wide angle scattering (e.g., greater than 2.5 degrees). Glasscomponents with greater amounts of transmissive haze may have reducedtransmissive contrast. The transmissive haze may be greater than orequal to about 50%, greater than or equal to about 60%, greater than orequal to about 70%, from about 60% to about 90%, or from about 70% toabout 80%.

The textured region of the glass component and of a cover assemblyincluding the glass component may be configured to provide a particularcoefficient of friction or otherwise may produce a particular tactilefeel to a user when the textured region is touched. For example, thetextured region may be configured to have a coefficient of friction, fora finger touching or sliding along the textured region, that is within aspecified range, thereby providing a desired tactile feel to theenclosure. A user may touch or slide a finger along the textured region,for example, as a result of normal handling of the electronic device.

The textured region of the glass component and of the cover assembly mayalso be configured so that dirt or debris accumulated from normalhandling of the electronic device is readily cleanable or removable. Forexample, the textured region may be configured so that it does notcreate and/or trap textile debris. As explained in more detail below,the texture may be configured so that a root mean square (RMS) height ofthe features, a root mean square (RMS) slope of the surface features isnot overly large, and/or the mean peak curvature provides the desiredoptical and tactile properties. More detailed description of these andother texture parameters is provided with respect to FIG. 5 and, forbrevity, will not be repeated here.

The discussion herein with respect to properties of textured glass covermembers also relates more generally to textured glass components asdescribed herein. These and other embodiments are discussed below withreference to FIGS. 1A-9. However, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect tothese figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not beconstrued as limiting.

FIG. 1A shows a front view of an example electronic device 100 includinga textured glass component. The electronic device 100 may be a mobiletelephone (also referred to as a mobile phone). In additionalembodiments, the electronic device 100 may be a notebook computingdevice (e.g., a notebook or laptop), a tablet computing device (e.g., atablet), a portable media player, a wearable device, or another type ofportable electronic device. The electronic device 100 may also be adesktop computer system, computer component, input device, appliance, orvirtually any other type of electronic product or device component.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the electronic device 100 has an enclosure 110including a cover assembly 122. The cover assembly 122 may at leastpartially define a front surface 102 of the electronic device 100. Inthis example the cover assembly 122 defines a substantial entirety of afront surface of the electronic device 100. The cover assembly 122 ispositioned over the display 144 and may define a transparent portionpositioned over the display 144. The enclosure 110 may at leastpartially surround the display 144.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the enclosure 110 further includes a housing member112 (which may also be referred to simply as a housing or a housingcomponent). The cover assembly 122 may be coupled to the housing 112.For example, the cover assembly 122 may be coupled to the housing 112with an adhesive, a fastener, an engagement feature, or a combinationthereof.

The housing 112 may at least partially define a side surface 106 of theelectronic device 100 and may include one or more metal members or oneor more glass members. In this example, the housing 112 defines all foursides or a continuous side surface of the electronic device 100. Asshown in FIG. 1A, the housing 112 is formed from a series of metalsegments (114, 116) that are separated by polymer or dielectric segments115 that provide electrical isolation between adjacent metal segments.For example, a polymer segment 115 may be provided between a pair ofadjacent metal segments. One or more of the metal segments (114, 116)may be coupled to internal circuitry of the electronic device 100 andmay function as an antenna for sending and receiving wirelesscommunication.

The housing 112 may define one or more openings or ports. As shown inFIG. 1A, the metal segment 116 of the housing 112 defines an opening117. The opening 117 may allow (audio) input or output from a devicecomponent such as a microphone or speaker or may contain an electricalport or connection.

A cover assembly such as the cover assembly 122 typically includes aglass cover member 132, also referred to herein as a glass member. Asshown in FIG. 1A, the cover assembly 122 is a front cover assembly andthe glass member 132 is a front glass member. Examples of glass covermembers are shown in FIGS. 2A-5 and 7-8 and the description providedwith respect to these figures is generally applicable herein. In someembodiments a cover assembly may be described as a glass cover. Moregenerally, a cover assembly may be formed from multiple layers. Forexample, a multilayer cover assembly may include one or more glasssheets, polymer sheets, and/or various coatings and layers. In somecases, a glass cover member may extend laterally across the coverassembly, such as substantially across the width and the length of thecover assembly. In additional cases, a cover assembly may includemultiple cover glass members that together substantially extendlaterally across the cover assembly.

Typical cover assemblies herein are thin, and typically have a glasscover member that is less than 5 mm in thickness, and more typicallyless than 3 mm in thickness. In some aspects, a glass cover member of acover assembly, such as glass cover members 132 and 134, can have athickness from about 0.1 mm to 2 mm, from 0.5 mm to 2 mm, or from 0.2 mmto 1 mm. As described herein, the glass cover members may have anon-uniform thickness.

Although the cover assembly 122 is shown in FIG. 1A as beingsubstantially planar, the principles described herein also relate tocover assemblies and glass components which define a surface protrusion(such as shown in FIG. 1B), a surface recess, and/or one or more curvedsurfaces. In embodiments, a glass component such as a glass cover membermay be three-dimensional or define a contoured profile. For example, theglass component may define a peripheral portion that is not coplanarwith respect to a central portion. The peripheral portion may, forexample, define a side wall of a device housing or enclosure, while thecentral portion defines a front surface (which may define a transparentwindow that overlies a display).

In additional embodiments, cover assemblies as described herein may beincluded in an all glass or a multi-faceted glass enclosure. In suchembodiments, a cover assembly may define one or more surfaces of theenclosure, such as a front surface and a side surface, or a frontsurface, a side surface and a rear surface. A cover assembly for such anenclosure may include a glass component, a glass cover member, or acombination thereof.

FIG. 1B shows a rear view of the electronic device 100. As shown in FIG.1B, the enclosure 110 includes a cover assembly 124, which defines arear surface 104 of the electronic device. In the example of FIG. 1B,the cover assembly 124 defines a substantial entirety of the rearsurface of the electronic device. The cover assembly 124 includes aglass cover member 134. As shown in FIG. 1B, the cover assembly 124 is arear cover assembly and the glass cover member 134 is a rear glassmember. In some cases, the electronic device 100 includes a cameraassembly coupled to an interior surface of the cover assembly 124 (asshown in FIGS. 2A and 3).

As shown in FIG. 1B, the cover assembly 124 defines a first portion 126which protrudes or is offset with respect to a second portion 128 of thecover assembly 124. The first portion 126 may also be referred to hereinas a protruding portion and the second portion 128 may also be referredto herein as a base portion. The second portion 128 may at leastpartially surround the first portion 126. The first portion 126 may havea thickness greater than the second portion 128. For example, the firstportion 126 may be at least 10%, 25%, or 50% and up to about 250%thicker than the second portion 128. In some cases, the first portion126 may have a thickness greater than about 1 mm and less than or equalto about 2 mm and the second portion may have a thickness greater thanabout 0.5 mm and less than about 1 mm. The amount of protrusion oroffset between a raised exterior surface of the first portion 126 and anexterior surface of the second portion 128 may be from about 0.5 mm toabout 1.5 mm. The size of the first portion 126 may depend at least inpart on the size of the camera assembly. In some embodiments, a lateraldimension (e.g., a width) of the protruding portion may be from about 5mm to about 30 mm or from about 10 mm to about 20 mm.

The cover assembly 124 shown in FIG. 1B further defines a third region127. In some cases, the third region 127 may define an exterior surfacewhich extends between a raised exterior surface of the first portion 126and the exterior surface of the second portion 128. The third region 127may also be referred to herein as a side region. FIG. 2A providesadditional description of exterior surface regions of a cover assembly.The description provided with respect to FIG. 2A is generally applicableherein and, for brevity, is not repeated here.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the first portion 126 defines a textured region 156of the electronic device 100. The textured region 156 may have a textureconfigured to provide a desired appearance to an exterior surface of theelectronic device 100. In addition, the texture of the textured region156 may be configured to provide a particular “feel” to the electronicdevice, to be readily cleaned or both. The textured region 156 typicallyhas at least one roughness parameter greater than that of a polishedsurface, such as a conventionally polished surface. In some cases, thetextured region 156 may extend over a raised exterior surface of thefirst portion 126, but may not substantially extend over the thirdregion 127.

The texture of the textured region 156 may be similar or different tothat of another portion of the cover assembly. For example, the secondportion 128 may have a texture which is smoother than that of thetextured region 156 of the first portion 126. In some cases, the secondportion 128 may have a texture similar to that of a polished surface. Inaddition, the third region 127 may have a texture which is smoother thanthat of the textured region 156. In some cases, the third portion 127may have a texture similar to that of a polished surface.

Typically, the electronic device 100 includes a camera assembly whichincludes one or more optical modules 157. The example of FIG. 1B showsthree optical modules 157, but more generally the camera assembly maydefine any number of optical modules 157, such as one, two, three, four,or five optical modules. Each of the optical modules 157 may besubstantially flush with, proud of, or recessed with respect to thetextured region 156.

The optical modules 157 may include, but are not limited to, a cameramodule, an illumination module, a sensor, and combinations thereof. Insome cases, a camera module includes an optical sensing array and/or anoptical component such as a lens, filter, or window. In additionalcases, a camera module includes an optical sensing array, an opticalcomponent, and a camera module housing surrounding the optical sensingarray and the optical components. The camera module may also include afocusing assembly. For example, a focusing assembly may include anactuator for moving a lens of the camera module. In some cases, theoptical sensing array may be a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor(CMOS) array or the like.

The first portion 126 of the cover assembly 124 may define at least onehole (also referred to herein as a through-hole) which extends throughthe cover assembly from the textured region 156 to an interior surfaceof the cover assembly. Therefore, the first portion 126 of the coverassembly may also define at least one opening in the exterior surface104 with the opening corresponding to the entrance to (or exit from) thethrough-hole. The opening in the exterior surface 104 may be located inthe textured region 156. As examples, the through-hole or opening mayhave a lateral dimension (e.g., a width or diameter) from about 1 mm toabout 10 mm. A lateral dimension of a textured region between edges ofadjacent openings may be from about 1 mm to about 15 mm or from about 1mm to about 10 mm.

In some cases, the first portion 126 may define an arrangement, array,or set of through-holes extending through the first portion 126 (asshown in the partial cross-section views of FIG. 2A). The first portion126 may further define an arrangement, array, or set of openings in theexterior surface of the cover assembly 124.

An optical module 157 may be positioned at least partially within anopening in the textured region 156, as shown in FIG. 1B. The opticalmodule 157 may also be positioned at least partially within athrough-hole in the first portion 126 (as shown in the partialcross-section view of FIGS. 2A and 3). The camera assembly may becoupled to an interior surface of the cover assembly as shown in FIGS.2A and 3.

As previously noted, the cover assembly 124 includes a glass covermember 134. In some cases, the shape of the glass cover member 134 maygenerally correspond to the shape of the cover assembly and may extendacross a substantial entirely of the rear surface of the electronicdevice. In additional cases, the cover assembly may include multipleglass cover members. For example, a first glass cover member may definethe first portion of the cover assembly and a second glass cover membermay define the second portion of the cover assembly. The first glasscover member and the second glass cover member may be coupled togetherby a fastener or other attachment part alone or in combination with anadhesive. The fastener or other attachment part may at least partiallydefine a third region of the cover assembly. The cover assembly 124 mayfurther include a smudge-resistant coating, a cosmetic coating, or acombination thereof (as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2B-2C).

The texture of the textured region 156 may result from texturing of theglass cover member 134. In some cases, the glass cover member 134 mayhave multiple textured regions. Each of the various textured regions ofthe glass cover member 134 may have similar textures to each other ormay have different textures from each other. Different textures mayresult from using different process conditions in a single type oftexturing process or may result from using different types of texturingprocesses. In some embodiments, a textured region of the glass covermember 134 may have a texture formed by overlap of two differenttextures. Such a texture may result from using two different texturingprocesses to create the textured region. Different methods for formingtextures on the glass cover member 134 are discussed with respect toFIG. 6 and those details are generally applicable herein. Further, thediscussion of surface textures provided with respect to FIG. 5 isgenerally applicable herein.

In addition to a display and a camera assembly, the electronic device100 may include additional components. These additional components maycomprise one or more of a processing unit, control circuitry, memory, aninput/output device, a power source (e.g., battery), a charging assembly(e.g., a wireless charging assembly), a network communication interface,an accessory, and a sensor. Components of a sample electronic device arediscussed in more detail below with respect to FIG. 9. and thedescription provided with respect to FIG. 9 is generally applicableherein.

FIG. 2A shows a partial cross-section view of an electronic device 200.The electronic device 200 may be similar to the electronic device 100 ofFIGS. 1A and 1B and the cross-section may be taken along A-A. Theelectronic device 200 includes a cover assembly 222 at the front and acover assembly 224 at the rear of the electronic device 200. Each of thecover assembly 222 and the cover assembly 224 is coupled to a housingcomponent 212, such as with an adhesive, a fastener, or a combinationthereof. The housing component 212 may be similar to the housingcomponents 112, 114, and 116 of FIG. 1. The housing component 212 atleast partially defines an interior cavity 205 of the electronic device200.

The cover assembly 222 includes a glass cover member 232 and the coverassembly 224 includes a glass cover member 234. A glass cover member,such as glass cover members 232 and 234, may be formed from a glassmaterial. The cover assembly 224 defines a protruding portion 226 (alsoreferred to as a first portion) which protrudes with respect to a baseportion 228 (also referred to as a second portion) due to the greaterthickness of the glass cover member 234 in the protruding portion.Typically at least part of the base portion 228 is substantiallyadjacent the protruding portion 226.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the cover assembly 224 further defines an exteriorsurface 244. A region 246 of the exterior surface 244 is defined by theprotruding portion 226 and a region 248 of the exterior surface 244 isdefined by the base portion 228. The region 246 protrudes or is raisedwith respect to the second portion 248 and may therefore be referred toas a raised region, an offset region, or an outer region. As an example,the raised region 246 may define a plateau. The region 248 may bereferred to herein as a base region. A region 247 of the exteriorsurface 244 may extend between the region 246 and the region 248 and maydefine a side of the protruding portion 226. As schematically shown inFIG. 2A, the region 246 may include a textured region. In the example ofFIG. 2A, the region 246 has a rougher texture than the region 248 or theregion 247, as shown in more detail in FIGS. 2B and 2C.

The electronic device 200 further includes a display 274 and a touchsensor 272 provided below the front cover assembly 222. The display 274and the touch sensor 272 may be coupled to the front cover assembly 222.The display 274 may be a liquid-crystal display (LCD), a light-emittingdiode (LED) display, an LED-backlit LCD display, an organiclight-emitting diode (OLED) display, an active layer organiclight-emitting diode (AMOLED) display, and the like. The touch sensor272 may be configured to detect or measure a location of a touch alongthe exterior surface of the front cover assembly 222.

The cover assembly 224 further includes a cosmetic or decorative coating260 disposed along an interior surface 233 of the glass cover member234, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C. When the cover assembly and glasscover member over the cosmetic coating is textured, the appearance ofthe electronic device may be due to the combined effect of the texturedregion and the cosmetic coating. As shown in FIG. 2A, the cosmeticcoating 260 is positioned underneath the base portion 228 of the coverassembly 224 and in some cases may provide the base portion 228 with adesired color. In additional cases, the cosmetic coating 260 mayfunction as a masking layer. In the example of FIG. 2A, the cosmeticcoating does not substantially extend under the protruding portion 226and the protruding portion 226 may have a different color than the baseportion 228. In some cases, the protruding portion 226 (or thecorresponding protruding portion of the glass cover member) may appearto be substantially colorless. For example, the absolute value of eachof a* and b* may be less than 5, less than 3, or less than or equal to 2and the value of L* may be greater than 90, greater than 95, or greaterthan 98.

The electronic device 200 further includes a camera assembly 275. Thepartial cross-section view of FIG. 2A shows two optical modules (277,278) of the camera assembly 275. As shown in FIG. 2A, the cameraassembly 275 is coupled to an interior surface 233 of the glass covermember 234, although in additional examples the camera assembly may becoupled to another interior surface of the cover assembly 224 (as shownin FIG. 3). For example, the camera assembly 275 may be coupled to theinterior surface of the cover assembly 224 with an adhesive bond, as maybe provided by an adhesive layer. As an additional example, the cameraassembly 275 may be coupled to the interior surface of the coverassembly 224 with a fastener or other form of mechanical attachment.

The camera assembly 275 further includes a support structure 276 whichis coupled to an interior surface 233 of the glass cover member 234 ofthe cover assembly 224. The support structure 276 may be configured tohold various elements of the camera assembly 275 in place. For exampleeach of the optical modules 277 and 278 and a printed circuit board(PCB) 279 may be mounted to the support structure 276. The shape of thesupport structure 276 is not limited to the example of FIG. 2A. In somecases, the support structure 276 may include a plate, a bracket, or acombination thereof.

The support structure 276 and the coupling between the camera assembly275 and the interior surface of the cover assembly 224 may be configuredto limit bending of the glass cover member 234 in the vicinity of theprotruding portion 226. For example, the support structure 276 may beconfigured to limit bending which would tend to increase outwardscurvature of the region 246 of the protruding portion 226 (and increaseits convexity). Limiting bending of the protruding region can limitbending-induced tensile stress along the textured region 256. Further,the coupling between the camera assembly 275 and the interior surface ofthe cover assembly 224 may be sufficiently rigid so that the position ofa neutral axis of the combination of the cover assembly 224 and thecamera assembly 275 is shifted as compared to the corresponding neutralaxis of the cover assembly 224 alone. For example, the neutral axis ofthe combination of the cover assembly 224 and the camera assembly 275may be shifted inward, away from the exterior surface 244, as comparedto the corresponding neutral axis of the cover assembly 224 alone. Insome cases, the shifting of the neutral axis may be most pronounced inthe protruding portion 226 of the cover assembly 224.

As previously described with respect to FIG. 1B, the cover assembly 224may define holes 237 and 238 extending through the protruding portion226. Holes 237 and 238 may also be referred to herein as through-holes.As shown in FIG. 2A, the glass cover member 234 also at least partiallydefines the holes 237 and 238. The cover assembly 224 further definesopenings 267 and 268 to the holes 237 and 238. The openings 267 and 268are located in the region 246, which may be a textured region.

The first optical module 277 and the second optical module 278 arerespectively aligned with the through-holes 237 and 238. As shown inFIG. 2A, the first optical module 277 extends substantially through thefirst through-hole 237 and the second optical module 278 extends atleast partially through the second through-hole 238. In the example ofFIG. 2A, the optical module 277 may extend through the opening 267 sothat an end of the optical module 277 extends beyond (is proud of) theopening 267 and the surface region 246. The end of the optical module278 is recessed with respect to the opening 268. In other examples, anend of an optical module may be flush with an opening, as shown in FIG.3.

As previously described with respect to FIG. 1B, an optical module maycomprise a camera module, an illumination module, an optical sensor orthe like. Typically the camera assembly 275 includes at least one cameramodule and may include two, three, four or five camera modules. Thecamera module is electrically connected to the PCB 279.

In some cases, a window may be positioned within an opening. As shown inFIG. 2A, a window 269 is positioned within the second opening 268. Thefirst optical module 277 may also include a window as part of itsoptical components, with the window being positioned within its housing.

FIG. 2B is a detail view showing the protruding portion 226 (detail 1-1)and FIG. 2C is a detail view showing the base portion 228 (detail 2-2)of the cover assembly 224. The scale of FIGS. 2B and 2C is exaggeratedin order to better illustrate details of the cover assembly 224. Asschematically shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, the region 246 may define a firsttexture and the region 248 may define a second texture which isdifferent than the first texture. In the example of FIGS. 2A 2C, theregion 246 has a rougher texture than the region 248. In addition, theregion 246 has a rougher texture than the region 247. For example, theregion 246 may have at least one roughness parameter, such as a rootmean square surface height, a root mean square slope, and/or a mean peakcurvature, which is greater than that of the region 248 and/or theregion 247. More generally, the different regions of the exteriorsurface 244 may have similar textures to each other or may havedifferent textures from each other as previously described with respectto FIG. 1B.

In some cases, the first texture of the protruding portion 226 and thesecond texture of the base portion 228 may be configured to providesomewhat different optical effects. For example, when the decorativecoating 260 provides a desired color to the base portion 228 and theprotruding portion 226 has a substantially colorless appearance, thefirst texture of the protruding portion 226 may be configured to providea greater amount of translucency than the second texture of the baseportion 228. In some cases, the second texture of the base portion 228may be substantially transparent and may correspond to the texture of apolished surface. As an additional example, the first texture of theprotruding portion may be configured to provide a lower gloss than thewindow 269, but may provide a higher gloss than the second texture ofthe base portion 228.

In addition, the first texture of the protruding portion 226 and thesecond texture of the base portion 228 may be configured to providesomewhat different tactile effects. For example, the second texture ofthe base portion 228 may be configured to provide a smoother feel to auser than the first texture of the protruding portion.

The texture of a given region of the cover assembly 224 may result, atleast in part, from texturing of the glass cover member 234. Surfacefeatures (e.g., surface features 286 and 288) formed on the glass covermember 234 and the exterior coating 265 together may define surfacestructures on the cover assembly (e.g., surface structures 296 and 298).Different textures of the glass cover member 234 may result from usingdifferent process conditions in a single type of texturing process ormay result from using different types of texturing processes. Differentmethods for forming textures on the glass cover member 234 are discussedwith respect to FIG. 6 and those details are applicable here. Further,the discussion of surface textures and surface features provided withrespect to FIG. 5 is applicable herein but, for brevity, is not repeatedhere.

In some cases, the cosmetic coating 260 comprises a polymer. Thecosmetic coating 260 may comprise at least 40%, 50%, 60%, or 70% of thepolymer and may therefore be referred to as a polymer-based coating or apolymeric coating. When the coating 260 further comprises a colorant,the polymer may act as a binder for the colorant. The colorant (e.g., apigment) may be substantially dispersed in a matrix of the polymer. Asexamples, the polymer may be polyester-based, epoxy-based,urethane-based, or based on another suitable type of polymer orcopolymer. The cosmetic coating 260 may further comprise optionaladditives such as one or more extenders, diluents, polymerizationinitiators, and/or stabilizers. In some embodiments, the polymer has across-linked structure.

In some cases, the cosmetic coating may include a color layer (e.g., anink, dye, paint, etc.) and/or a metal layer. As previously described,the cosmetic coating 260 may include at least one color layer. The colorlayer may comprise a polymer and a colorant dispersed in the polymer andmay be transparent, translucent, or opaque. More generally, any pigment,paint, ink, dye, sheet, film, or other layer may be used as the cosmeticcoating 260 or a portion thereof. In some embodiments, the cosmeticcoating 260 is a multilayer coating that includes a first color layerand a second color layer. Each of the color layers may be transparent,translucent, or opaque. Each of the color layers may include the samecolorant or different color layers may include different colorants. Thethickness of each of the color layers in the cosmetic coating 260 may befrom about 2 microns to about 10 microns.

The color layer(s) and the cosmetic coating 260 may have a chromaticcolor or an achromatic color. The color of the cosmetic coating 260 maybe characterized using a color model. For example, in thehue-saturation-value (HSV) color model, the hue relates to thewavelength(s) of visible light observed when the color feature is viewed(e.g., blue or magenta) and the value relates to the lightness ordarkness of a color. The saturation relates to the perceivedcolorfulness as judged in proportion to its brightness. As anotherexample, coordinates in CIEL*a*b* (CIELAB) color space may be used tocharacterize the color, wherein L* represents brightness, a* theposition between red/magenta and green, and b* the position betweenyellow and blue.

In some cases, the cosmetic coating 260 as viewed through given regionof the cover assembly 224 may have a uniform appearance. For example,the cosmetic coating 260 may appear uniform to the unaided eye (alsoreferred to as being visually uniform). The cosmetic coating 260 mayhave a color variation less than a specified value. For example, animage of the coating as viewed through the glass cover member may beobtained using a digital camera and the color of each pixel of the imagemay be determined, thereby allowing determination of the color and/orlightness variation. The color uniformity over the textured region maybe assessed by assessing the uniformity of the color values obtainedusing a given color model. For example, the variation in L*, a*, b*, ora combination thereof may be less than about 20%, 15%, 10%, or 5% asmeasured through a textured region, such as region 248.

In some cases a reference value of the color uniformity may be measuredfor the cosmetic coating 260 and a perceived color uniformity value ofthe cosmetic coating 260 as viewed through the textured region 230 maybe compared to the reference value. For example, the reference value ofthe color uniformity may be a first color uniformity value and theperceived color uniformity value of the cosmetic coating 260 as viewedthrough region of the cover assembly 224 may be a second coloruniformity value. In some cases, the second color uniformity value maybe the same or substantially the same as the first color uniformityvalue. For example, the difference between the second color uniformityvalue and the first color uniformity value may be visuallyimperceptible. In additional examples, the variation between the secondcolor uniformity value and the first color uniformity value may be lessthan about 20%, 15%, 10%, or 5%. As previously discussed, a coloruniformity value may be determined from the variation in L*, a*, b*, ora combination thereof or by other color measurement techniques.

For example, a reference value of the color uniformity may be obtainedfor the cosmetic coating 260 as applied to a glass cover member wholacks a textured surface as described herein. Instead, the glass covermember used to obtain the reference value may have an as-manufacturedsurface or a polished surface. The as-manufactured surface or polishedsurface may have an RMS surface height less than that of a texturedsurface as described herein.

In some cases, the cosmetic coating 260 may include multiple layers,such as a first layer 262 and a second layer 264 as schematically shownin FIG. 2C. As examples, the cosmetic coating 260 may include anadditional color layer, a metal layer, an optically clear layer, anoptically dense layer, and combinations thereof. In additional cases,the cosmetic coating need not include a color layer, but may include oneor more of an optically dense layer and a metal layer.

For example, the cosmetic coating 260 may include an optically denselayer The optically dense layer may substantially reduce or preventtransmission of visible light, thereby “blocking” the view through thecover assembly 224 of components positioned behind the optically denselayer. In addition, the optical properties of the optically dense layermay be configured to adjust the lightness and/or the chroma of thecosmetic coating 260.

For example, the optical density of the optically dense layer may bedescribed by OD=log₁₀ (initial intensity/transmitted intensity) and maybe greater than or equal to 1, greater than or equal to 2, or greaterthan or equal to 3. Generally, the optically dense layer (e.g., layer264) comprises a polymer. The optically dense layer may further compriseone or more pigments, dyes, or a combination thereof. As an example, theoptically dense layer has a substantially wavelength independent(neutral) reflectance and/or absorption spectrum over the visible range.In addition, the optically dense layer may have an achromaticcharacteristic color. The thickness of the optically dense layer may befrom about 2 microns to about 10 microns.

In further embodiments, the cosmetic coating 260 may comprise a metallayer in addition to one or more color layers. Such a metal layer maygive a metallic effect to the cosmetic coating as seen through the coverassembly 224. When used to form a metallic marking, the metal layer maybe a partial layer (e.g., having a smaller lateral dimension than acolor layer). For example, the metal of the layer may be selected fromaluminum, copper, nickel, silver, gold, platinum, and alloys thereof. Insome cases, the metal layer may be configured to at least partiallytransmit visible light. For example, the metal layer may have athickness greater than about 0.5 nm and less than 10 nm, less than 5 nm,less than 3 nm, less than 2 nm, or less than 1 nm. Thicker metal layersmay be used for forming an indicium or another marking under the glasscover member. The marking may be in the form of an image, a pattern,text, a glyph, a symbol, indicia, a geometric shape, or a combinationthereof.

The metal layer may be disposed along an interior surface of the glasscover member 234. In some cases the metal layer may be used incombination with an optically clear layer. The optically clear layer mayhave one or more mechanical properties (e.g., modulus, hardness and/ortoughness) which limit or prevent propagation of cracks from the metallayer into the glass cover member 234. The optically clear layer may bea polymeric layer and may have a thickness from about 1 micron to about5 microns. The optically clear layer may be disposed along the interiorsurface 233 of the glass cover member 234, the metal layer may bepositioned between the optically clear layer and the optically denselayer, a first color layer may be positioned between the metal layer andthe optically dense layer, and a second color layer may be positionedbetween the first color layer and the optically dense layer.

In addition, the cosmetic coating may comprise additional polymericlayers behind and disposed along the optically dense layer. Ifcomponents of the electronic device are glued to the cosmetic coating,these additional layers may include a protective layer which protectsthe color layers of the multilayer coating from damage due to the glue.The additional layers may further include a layer inwards of theprotective layer which facilitates adhesion of the cosmetic coating tothe glue.

In addition, the detail views of FIGS. 2B and 2C show that regions ofthe exterior surface 244, such as regions 246 and 248, may be defined byan exterior coating 265 applied to the glass cover member 234. Theexterior coating 265 may provide resistance to oils and other depositson the electronic device and may be referred to as a smudge-resistantcoating or as an oleophobic coating. The exterior coating 265 maycomprise a fluorinated material, such as a fluorinated oligomer orpolymer, to impart oleophobic and/or hydrophobic properties. Inembodiments, the layer of the fluorinated material is from about 5 nm toabout 20 nm thick or from about 10 nm to about 50 nm thick. The layer ofthe fluorinated material may be bonded directly to the surface featuresor may be bonded to an intermediate adhesion layer.

FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-section view of an electronic device 300.The electronic device 300 may be similar to the electronic device 100 ofFIGS. 1A and 1B. The electronic device 300 includes a cover assembly 322at the front and a cover assembly 324 at the rear of the electronicdevice 300. Each of the cover assembly 322 and the cover assembly 324 iscoupled to a housing component 312, such as with an adhesive, afastener, or a combination thereof. The housing component 312 may besimilar to the housing components 112, 114 and 116 of FIG. 1. Thehousing component 312 at least partially defines an interior cavity 305of the electronic device 300.

The cover assembly 322 includes a glass cover member 332 and the coverassembly 324 includes a glass cover member 334. The cover assembly 324defines a protruding portion 326 (also referred to as a first portion)which protrudes with respect to a base portion 328 (also referred to asa second portion) due to the greater thickness of the glass cover member334 in the protruding portion 326.

In a similar fashion as described for FIG. 2A, the cover assembly 324defines an exterior surface 344. A region 346 of the exterior surface344 is defined by the protruding portion 326 and a region 348 of theexterior surface 344 is defined by the base portion 328. The region 346protrudes or is raised with respect to the second portion 348 and maytherefore be referred to as a raised region, an offset region, or anouter region. As an example, the raised region 346 may define a plateau.A region 347 of the exterior surface 344 may extend between the region346 and the region 348 and may define a side of the protruding portion326. As schematically shown in FIG. 3, the region 346 may include atextured region. In the example of FIG. 3, the region 346 has a roughertexture than the region 348 or the region 347. More generally, thedifferent regions of the exterior surface 344 may have similar texturesto each other or may have different textures from each other aspreviously described with respect to FIG. 1B.

The electronic device 300 further includes a display 374 and a touchsensor 372 provided below the front cover assembly 322. The display 374and the touch sensor 372 may be as previously described for FIG. 2A and,for brevity, that description is not repeated here.

The cover assembly 324 further includes a cosmetic or decorative coating360 disposed along an interior surface 332 of the glass cover member334. The cosmetic coating 360 may directly contact the interior surface332. In the example of FIG. 3, the cosmetic coating 360 extends underthe protruding portion 326. In some cases, the protruding portion 326has substantially the same color as the base portion 328.

The electronic device 300 further includes a camera assembly 375. Thepartial cross-section view of FIG. 3 shows one optical module 377 of thecamera assembly 375. The camera assembly 375 further includes a supportstructure 376 which is coupled to an interior of the cover assembly 324.As shown in FIG. 3, the decorative coating 360 extends between thesupport structure 376 and the glass cover member 334 and the supportstructure 376 may be coupled to the interior surface 332 through thecosmetic coating in a similar manner as previously described for supportstructure 276. The support structure 376 may have similar features andfunctions as support structure 276. The description provided withrespect to support structure 276 is generally applicable herein and, forbrevity, is not repeated here.

As previously described with respect to FIG. 2A, the cover assembly 324may define a hole 337 extending through the protruding portion 326. Thehole 337 may also be referred to herein as a through-hole. As shown inFIG. 3, the glass cover member 334 also at least partially defines thehole 337. The cover assembly 324 further defines an opening 367 to thehole 337. The opening 367 is located in the region 346 includes atextured region.

The optical module 377 is aligned with the through-hole 337. As shown inFIG. 3, the optical module 377 extends substantially through thethrough-hole 337. The optical module 377 is also positioned at leastpartially within the opening 367. In the example of FIG. 3, an end ofthe optical module 377 is substantially flush with the opening 367. Inanother example, the optical module 377 may extend through the opening367 so that an end of the optical module extends beyond (is proud of)the opening and the surface region 346.

In a similar fashion as previously described with respect to FIGS. 1Band 2A, the different regions of the exterior surface 344 may havesimilar textures to each other or may have different textures from eachother. The texture of a given region of the cover assembly 324 mayresult from texturing of the glass cover member 334. Different texturesof the glass cover member 334 may result from using different processconditions in a single type of texturing process or may result fromusing different types of texturing processes. Different methods forforming textures on the glass cover member 334 are discussed withrespect to FIG. 6 and those details are applicable here. Further, thediscussion of surface textures provided with respect to FIG. 5 isapplicable herein but, for brevity, is not repeated here.

In some cases, the cosmetic coating 360 may include a color layer (e.g.,an ink, dye, paint, etc.) and/or a metal layer. The cosmetic coating ispositioned underneath the base portion 328 of the cover assembly 324 andmay therefore provide the base portion 328 with a desired color. Thecosmetic coating may have similar feature to the cosmetic coating 260and, for brevity, that description is not repeated here.

FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-section view of a glass cover member 434 ofan electronic device. The glass cover member 434 is shown in FIG. 4 withthe exterior surface 444 of the glass cover member 434 facing upwards,which is rotated with respect to the view of FIGS. 2A-2C and 3. Theglass cover member 434 may be an example of the glass cover member 134of FIG. 1B. As shown in FIG. 4, the glass cover member 434 defines abase portion 438 and protruding portion 436 (also referred to as aprotrusion), which protrudes or is at least partially offset withrespect to the base portion 438. The thickness T₂ of the protrudingportion is greater than the thickness T₁ of the base portion 438. Asexamples, the ratio T₂/T₁ may be from about 1.25 to about 3 or fromabout 1.5 to about 2. In some cases, the protruding portion 436 has athickness greater than about 1 mm and less than or equal to about 2 mmand the base portion 438 has a thickness greater than about 0.5 mm andless than about 1 mm.

As shown in FIG. 4, the exterior surface 444 of the glass cover member434 includes a base portion 448 defined by the base portion 438 of theglass cover member 434. The exterior surface 444 further includes araised region 446 and a side region 447 defined by the protrudingportion 436. The raised region 446 may also be referred to as an offsetregion, as an outer region, or as a central region (of the protrudingportion 436). The raised region 446 is offset with respect to the baseregion 448 of the exterior surface 444. In particular, the raised region446 protrudes outwards, away from the interior cavity of the electronicdevice. The raised region 446 may define a plateau.

As shown in FIG. 4, the protruding portion 436 of the glass cover member434 may further define a through-hole, such as the through-hole 435. Thethrough-hole 435 may allow input to, output from, or placement of adevice component such as an optical module as previously described withrespect to FIGS. 1B, 2A, and 3. The protruding portion 436 may furtherdefine an opening 467 to the through-hole, with the opening 467 beinglocated in the textured region 456. In some cases, the protrudingportion 436 may define an arrangement, array, or set of through-holesand openings extending through the protruding portion 436. For example,the glass cover member 434 may define any number of through-holes andopenings, such as one, two, three, four, or five through-holes andopenings.

The glass cover member 434 may be of unitary construction. For example,the glass cover member 434 may be formed from a single piece of a glassmaterial to define a monolithic glass component. The protrusion 436 maybe formed into the glass cover member 434 by a molding or a slumpingprocess to define the protruding profile shape. The protrusion 436 mayalso be formed into the glass cover member 434 by machining awaymaterial around the portion of the glass cover member 434 that is tobecome the protrusion 436. In some cases, the exterior surface of theglass cover member 434 formed by an initial shaping process may beground, polished, or otherwise processed to achieve the desired surfacefinish(es) as described further with respect to FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, the raised region 446 of the exterior surface 444includes a textured region 456. The textured region 456 may extendacross a substantial entirety of the raised region 446 except for theopening(s) such as 467. For example, the textured region 456 may extendsubstantially across the plateau defined by the raised region 446 and insome cases may be confined to the plateau. In some cases, the texturedregion 456 of the raised region 446 may be configured to produce a glosslevel which is lower than that of a window or lens of an optical modulein the opening 467 (e.g., the window 269 of FIG. 2A). The texturedregion 456 may also be configured to produce a translucent and/or hazyappearance.

In some embodiments, the base region 448 and/or the side region 447 ofthe exterior surface 444 is also textured. In general, each of thevarious textured regions of the glass cover member 434 may have similartextures to each other or may have different textures from each other.Different textures may result from using different process conditions ina single type of texturing process or may result from using differenttypes of texturing processes. In some embodiments, a textured region ofthe glass cover member 434 may have a texture formed by overlap of twodifferent textures. Such a texture may result from using two differenttexturing processes to create the textured region.

In one example, the base region 448 and the raised region 446 may bothdefine respective textured regions of the exterior surface 444 (alsoreferred to herein as textured surface regions). For example, the raisedregion 446 may define a first texture and the base region 448 may definea second texture different than the first texture, as was previouslyillustrated with respect to FIGS. 2A-2C. In some cases, the side region447 (which may also be referred to as a peripheral region) may define athird texture. As examples, the third texture may be the same as thefirst texture or the second texture or may be formed by an overlap ofthe first texture and the second texture. As used herein, a texture mayinclude a relatively smooth texture, such as a texture produced by apolishing process.

As schematically illustrated in FIG. 4, the texture of the texturedregion 456 (of the raised region 446) may be rougher than the texture ofthe base region 448. For example, the textured region 456 may have atleast one roughness parameter, such as a root mean square surfaceheight, a root mean square slope, and/or a mean peak curvature, which isgreater than that of the base region 448. In some cases, the base region448 may not include a textured region or may have a smooth texture thatis tactilely and/or visually distinct from that of the textured region456. For example, the base region 448 may have a relatively smoothtexture resulting from a polishing or a glass forming process, such as atexture corresponding to that of a polished surface.

In addition, the side region 447 may have a texture which is smootherthan that of the textured region 456. In some cases, the side region 447may have a texture similar to that of the base region 448, such as atexture corresponding to that of a polished surface. In some cases, thetextured region 456 may not substantially extend along the side region447, so that the raised region 446 and the side region 447 are visuallydistinct.

In additional examples, the texture of the textured region 456 (of theraised region 446) may be configured to produce a similar visual effectto the texture of the base region 448. The side region 447 may alsodefine a texture configured to produce a similar effect to thetexture(s) of the raised region 446 and the base region 448 in order toprovide visual continuity between the base region 448, the side region447, and the raised region 446. For example, the texture(s) of the baseregion 448, the side region 447, and the raised region 446 may beconfigured to produce a hazy effect and may have a relatively high valueof transmissive haze.

FIG. 5 shows a detail view of a textured region 556 of a glass covermember 534. The textured region 556 may be an example of the texturedregion 456 of FIG. 4 in detail area 3-3. The textured region 556 may bedefined by a raised region 546 of the exterior surface of the glasscover member 534, as previously described with respect to FIG. 4, andmay also be referred to herein as a textured surface region.

The textured region 556 comprises a plurality of surface features 580.The example of the surface features 580 provided in FIG. 5 is notlimiting and in general the surface features 580 of a surface region ofthe glass cover member 534 may define any of a range of shapes orconfigurations. The surface features 580 may have a variety of shapes,such as rounded or angular features. As examples, the surface features580 may define a circular, oval, polygonal, rectangular, or irregularsurface contour. Furthermore, the surface features 580 may defineprotrusions, recesses, or a combination thereof and may have anysuitable shape and may be pyramidal, conical, cylindrical, arched, havea curved upper surface or a frustum of a shape such as a cone, and soon.

As shown in FIG. 5, the surface features 580 may define one or morerecesses, such as the surface feature 584. A recess may define a minimumpoint, such as the point 585. The surface features 580 may also defineone or more protrusions, such as the surface feature 586. A protrusionmay define a maximum point, such as the point 587. As schematicallyshown in FIG. 5, the surface features 580 may define a set of minimumpoints as well as a set of maximum points. The set of maximum points mayalso be referred to as a set of peaks. The surface features 580 maydefine a set of recesses, each recess being positioned between adjacentpeaks of the set of peaks. The shapes of the peaks and the valleys arenot limited to those schematically shown in FIG. 5. For example, atleast some of the peaks may have a somewhat larger radius of curvature(and smaller curvature) as shown in FIG. 2B to provide the desiredtactile properties in addition to the desired level of cleanability forthe textured surface.

In some embodiments, the surface features 580 define a set of hills andvalleys. The hills and valleys may be defined using areal textureanalysis techniques as described below. The surface feature 586 maygenerally correspond to a hill feature and the surface feature 584 maygenerally correspond to a valley feature. In some embodiments, a set ofhills and valleys has a substantially uniform spacing between hillfeatures, valley features, or a combination thereof. In additionalembodiments, a set of valleys may have a non-uniform or an irregularspacing between hill features and/or valley features.

The heights of the surface features 580 may be measured with respect toa reference surface 582. For example, the heights of the hills may bedetermined from the maximum points (e.g., point 587) and the heights ofthe valleys may be determined from the minimum points (e.g., point 585).The glass cover member 534 may be an example of glass cover member 234or any other glass cover members described herein. Details of theseglass cover members are applicable to the glass cover member 534 and,for brevity, will not be repeated here.

In some cases, the textured region 556 may be a mechanically texturedregion and the surface features 580 may be formed by one or moremechanical grinding and polishing applications. For example, the surfacefeatures 580 may result at least in part from brittle fracture of theglass during the grinding and/or polishing process. Surface featuresresulting from brittle fracture may be more angular than those resultingfrom ductile fracture or etching. For example, peaks and/or valleys ofthe texture may be more pointed and/or contain more distinct edges thanthose resulting from ductile fracture or etching. Further description ofoperations for forming surface features is provided with respect to FIG.6 and, for brevity, is not repeated here.

The surface features 580 may be configured to provide particular opticalproperties to one or more surface regions of the glass cover member 534,as well as to a cover assembly and electronic device including the glasscover member 534. However, the surface features 580 defining the textureof the surface region may not be individually visually perceptible. Insome cases, the texture of the surface region may cause the glass covermember 534 to appear translucent, rather than transparent. In somecases, the texture may be configured to provide particular levels ofsuch optical properties such as transmissive haze, clarity, gloss,graininess, and combinations thereof.

A textured surface region of the glass cover member, such as thetextured region 556, may be configured to provide a specified glosslevel to the surface. In some embodiments, the textured region 556 mayhave a gloss value of less than about 50 gloss units, less than about 40gloss units, from 5 gloss units to 50 gloss units, from 10 gloss unitsto 50 gloss units, from 10 gloss units to 45 gloss units, or from 15gloss units to 45 gloss units as measured at 60 degrees. The gloss levelmay be measured in the absence of a cosmetic coating.

The gloss value of another region of the exterior surface of the glasscover member, such as the base region, may be similar to or differentfrom that of the textured region 556. For example, the other region ofthe exterior surface may have a higher gloss than the textured region556, such as when the other region has a smoother surface. As anotherexample, the other region of the exterior surface may have a lower glossthan the textured region 556. For example, the gloss of the other regionmay be less than about 20 gloss units, less than about 15 gloss units,less than about 10 gloss units, from 5 gloss units to 20 gloss units, orfrom 10 gloss units to 20 gloss units as measured at 60 degrees. Thedifference between the gloss of the textured region and the other regionmay be at least 10% and less than 100% or at least 10% and less than50%. In some cases, the gloss of the textured region may be measuredusing commercially available equipment and according to ASTM or ISOstandard test methods. The angle measurement may refer to the anglebetween the incident light and the perpendicular to the textured regionof the surface.

A textured surface region of the glass cover member, such as thetextured region 556, may be configured to provide a specified level oftransmissive haze to the corresponding portion of the glass covermember. In some cases, the transmissive haze of the textured region maybe measured using commercially available equipment and according to ASTMor ISO standard test methods. The transmissive haze may relate to theamount of light subject to wide angle scattering (e.g., greater than 2.5degrees). The transmissive haze may be greater than or equal to about50%, greater than or equal to about 60%, or greater than or equal toabout 70%. For example, the transmissive haze may be from about 60% toabout 90% or from about 70% to about 80%. As non-limiting examples, thetransmissive haze may be measured using a haze-gard i device availablefrom BYK or a GC 5000L variable photometer available from NipponDenshoku. The transmissive haze scattering may be measured for the coverassembly or glass cover member as removed from the electronic device.The transmissive haze of another region of the exterior surface of theglass cover member, such as the base region, may be similar to ordifferent from that of textured region 556. For example, the otherregion of the exterior surface may have a lower amount of transmissivehaze than the textured region 556, such as less than 50%, less than 40%,less than 30%, or less than 25%.

A textured surface region of the glass cover member, such as thetextured region 556, may be configured to provide a specified level ofclarity to the corresponding portion of the glass cover member. Theclarity or the transmissive narrow angle scattering of the texturedregion may be measured using commercially available equipment andaccording to ASTM or ISO standard test methods. The clarity may be lessthan about 50%, less than about 40%, less than about 30%, less thanabout 20%, less than about 15%, or less than about 10%. For example, theclarity may be from about 5% to about 30%, from about 5% to about 20%,from about 5% to about 15%, or from about 5% to about 15%. Thetransmissive narrow angle scattering may be measured using a haze-gard idevice available from BYK or a GC 5000L variable photometer availablefrom Nippon Denshoku. A clarity value may be determined frommeasurements of the intensity in a central region (I_(central)) and anintensity in a ring around the central region (I_(ring)). For example,the clarity value may be equal to100%*(I_(central)−I_(ring))/(I_(central)−I_(ring)). The clarity or thetransmissive narrow angle scattering may be measured for the coverassembly or glass cover member as removed from the electronic device.

In some cases, a textured region of the glass cover member may beconfigured to provide a specified level of visual uniformity to thecorresponding portion of the glass cover member. The level of visualuniformity of another region of the exterior surface of the glass covermember, such as the base region, may be similar to or different fromthat of textured region 556. The graininess of a textured region may bemeasured under diffused illumination using commercially availableequipment. The graininess may be measured similarly for a texturedregion of a cover assembly. In some cases, an image of the texturedsurface of the glass cover member 534 may be obtained using a digitalcamera and the lightness of each pixel of the image may be determined,thereby allowing determination of the lightness variation across thetextured surface. For example, the BYK-mac device available from BYK mayproduce a graininess value determined from a histogram of the lightnesslevels. The graininess of the textured surface may be less than about1.5 or less than about 1.0. In addition, the graininess may be fromabout 0.1 to about 1.5, from about 0.1 to about 1.0, from about 0.25 toabout 1.5, from about 0.25 to about 1.0, from about 0.5 to about 1.5, orfrom about 0.5 to about 1.0. These graininess values may be measuredprior to application of any cosmetic coating to the glass cover member.

A textured surface region of the glass cover member, such as thetextured region 556, may be configured to provide a specified level ofcleanability. For example, the texture of the textured region 556 may beconfigured so that a root mean square (RMS) height of the features isnot overly large. The texture may also be configured so that a size ofany recessed surface features is sufficiently large to facilitatecleaning. In addition, the texture may be configured so that the rootmean square (RMS) slope and/or the mean peak curvature of the surfacefeatures is small enough to provide the desired tactile properties inaddition to the desired level of cleanability.

Surface texture parameters include areal surface texture parameters suchas amplitude parameters, spatial parameters, and hybrid parameters.Surface filtering may be used to exclude surface noise and/or surfacewaviness before determining the surface texture parameters. In addition,a segmentation technique may be used to determine feature parameterssuch as the maximum diameter, the minimum diameter, the area, and theperimeter. These parameters may be calculated on the basis of thefeature shape as projected onto the reference surface (e.g., a referenceplane). Mean values may be determined for a given class of surfacefeatures (e.g., hills or valleys). Surface texture parameters andmethods for determining these parameters (including filtering andsegmentation) are described in more detail in International Organizationfor Standardization (ISO) standard 25178 (Geometric ProductSpecifications (GPS)—Surface texture: Areal). These surface textureparameters may be measured using commercially available equipment.

For example, the surface features 580 of one or more surface regions ofthe glass cover member 534 may be characterized, in part, by the heightsof the surface features. The height may be measured with respect to areference surface, such as the arithmetical mean of the surface(schematically shown by line 582 in FIG. 5). The heights of the surfacefeatures 580 may not be uniform, so that the surface features have adistribution of heights. The magnitude of the heights of the surfacefeatures 580 may fall in the range from zero to about 5 microns, zero toabout 2.5 microns, from zero to about 2 microns, from zero to about 1.5microns, or from zero to about 1 micron. The surface features 580 may becharacterized by the root mean square height Sq or the arithmetic meanheight Sa of the surface. The root mean square (RMS) height of thesurface features 580 may be greater than zero and less than about 2.5microns, greater than zero and less than about 2 microns, greater thanzero and less than about 1.5 microns, greater than zero and less thanabout 1 micron, from about 0.1 microns to about 2.5 microns, from about0.1 microns to about 2 microns, from about 0.1 microns to about 1.5microns, from about 0.1 microns to about 1.25 microns, from about 0.1microns to about 1.0 micron, from about 0.2 microns to about 2.5 micronsfrom about 0.2 microns to about 2 microns, from about 0.2 microns toabout 1.5 microns, from about 0.2 microns to about 1.25 microns, fromabout 0.2 microns to about 1.0 micron, from about 0.25 microns to about2.5 microns, from about 0.25 microns to about 2 microns, from about 0.25microns to about 1.5 microns, from about 0.25 microns to about 1.25microns, from about 0.25 microns to about 1.0 micron, from about 0.5microns to about 2.5 microns, from about 0.5 microns to about 2 microns,from about 0.5 microns to about 1.5 microns, from about 0.5 microns toabout 1.25 microns, or from about 0.5 microns to about 1.0 micron. Insome cases, one textured region may be referred to as being rougher thananother textured region when it has a greater RMS height.

The RMS height of another region of the exterior surface of the glasscover member, such as the base region, may be similar to or differentfrom that of textured region 556. For example, the RMS height of theraised region may be greater than that of the base region. For example,the RMS height of the raised region may be at least 10% and less than150%, at least 10% and less than 100%, or at least 10% and less than 50%greater than that of the base region. In some cases, the RMS height ofthe base region may be similar to that of a polished surface, such asfrom about 1 nm to about 150 nm, from about 1 nm to about 125 nm, fromabout 1 nm to about 100 nm, from about 1 nm to about 75 nm, from about 1nm to about 50 nm, from about 1 nm to about 25 nm, or from 1 nm to about10 nm.

In addition, the surface features 580 of one or more surface regions maybe characterized by lateral parameters, such as the distance betweenpeaks. The spacing between peaks may not be uniform, so that there is adistribution of spacings between peaks. The average (mean) distance orspacing between peaks may be referred to as the average pitch or meanpitch. The average pitch may be from about 1 micron to about 20 microns,from about 1 micron to about 15 microns, from about 1 micron to about 10microns, from about 2.5 microns to about 20 microns, from about 2.5microns to about 15 microns, from about 2.5 microns to about 10 microns,from about 5 microns to about 20 microns, from about 5 microns to about15 microns, or from about 5 microns to about 10 microns.

In some embodiments, the surface features 580 of one or more surfaceregions may be configured so to have a particular ratio of the averageheight of the peaks to the average spacing of the peaks. For example,the ratio of the RMS height to the mean pitch may be from about 0.01 toabout 0.6, from about 0.01 to about 0.3, from about 0.02 to about 0.6,from about 0.02 to about 0.3, from about 0.03 to about 0.6, from about0.03 to about 0.3, from about 0.04 to about 0.6, or from about 0.04 toabout 0.3.

The surface features 580 of one or more surface regions may also becharacterized by a lateral size. For example, the surface features 580may be characterized by a maximum lateral (or linear) size and a minimumlateral (or linear size). The surface features 580 may have a maximumlateral size small enough that they are not visually perceptible asindividual features. In addition, the lateral size and spacing of thesurface features 580 may be configured so that the glass cover memberhas a sufficiently low level of graininess.

The surface features 580 of one or more surface regions may becharacterized by the root mean square slope (Sdq), also referred to asthe root mean square gradient. In some embodiments, the root mean squareslope may be greater than zero and less than about 1.25, greater thanzero and less than about 1, from 0.1 to less than about 1.25, from about0.1 to less than about 1, from about 0.25 to less than about 1, fromabout 0.25 to about 0.75, or from about 0.1 to about 0.5. In some cases,the root mean square slope of the raised region is greater than that ofthe base region. For example, the root mean square slope of the raisedregion may be at least 10% and less than 60% greater than that of thebase region.

The surface features 580 of one or more surface regions may also becharacterized by the curvature of the peaks (also referred to assummits), such as by the arithmetic mean summit curvature S_(SC), alsoreferred to herein as the mean peak curvature. In some embodiments, thearithmetic mean summit curvature is greater than zero and less thanabout 2.0 microns, greater than zero and less than or equal to about 1.5microns⁻¹, from about 0.1 microns⁻¹ to about 2.0 microns⁻¹, from about0.1 microns⁻¹ to about 1.5 microns⁻¹, from about 0.25 microns⁻¹ to about2.0 microns⁻¹, from about 0.25 microns⁻¹ to about 1.5 microns⁻¹, fromabout 0.5 microns⁻¹ to about 2.0 microns⁻¹, from about 0.5 microns⁻¹ toabout 1.5 microns⁻¹, from about 0.75 microns⁻¹ to about 2.0 microns⁻¹,or from about 0.75 microns⁻¹ to about 1.5 microns⁻¹. In some cases, themean peak curvature of the raised region is greater than that of thebase region. For example, the mean peak curvature of the raised regionmay be at least 10% and less than 50% greater than that of the baseregion.

The surface features 580 of one or more surface regions may also becharacterized by an autocorrelation length. In some embodiments, theautocorrelation length is from about 1 micron to about 50 microns, fromabout 2 microns to about 30 microns, or from about 3 microns to about 25microns.

As previously described with respect to FIGS. 2A and 3, a cosmeticcoating may be disposed along an interior surface of the glass covermember 535. In some cases, the surface features 580 of the glass covermember 534 may be configured to minimize less desirable visual effectswhen the cosmetic coating is viewed through a textured region, such asthe textured region 536. For example, it may be preferred that thetexture does not produce an undesirable amount of visual contrastvariation and/or a visual texture.

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of an example process 600 for forming atextured glass component, such as a glass cover member. The texturedglass component may be formed from a workpiece or blank of a glassmaterial. The process 600 includes an operation 610 of machining a glassworkpiece to form a glass member having a protruding portion, operations620 and 620 of forming a texture (other than the as-machined texture) onthe protruding portion and a base portion of the glass member, and anoperation 630 of chemically strengthening the glass member.

Typically, the glass material of the workpiece and the member includes asilica-based glass material. The glass material of the glass covermember may have a network structure, such as a silicate-based networkstructure. In some embodiments, the glass material includes analuminosilicate glass. As used herein, an aluminosilicate glass includesthe elements aluminum, silicon, and oxygen, but may further includeother elements. Typically, the glass material includes anion-exchangeable glass material, such as an alkali metal aluminosilicateglass (e.g., a lithium aluminosilicate glass). An ion-exchangeablealuminosilicate glass may include monovalent or divalent ions whichcompensate for charges due to replacement of silicon ions by aluminumions. Suitable monovalent ions include, but are not limited to, alkalimetal ions such as Li⁺, Na⁺, or K⁺. Suitable divalent ions includealkaline earth ions such as Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺. The description of suitableglass materials provided with respect to FIG. 6 is generally applicableto the glass components and cover members described herein.

As shown in FIG. 6, the process 600 includes an operation 610 ofmachining a glass workpiece or blank to a desired shape. In some cases,the operation 610 removes glass material from the workpiece or blank todefine a glass member having protruding portion and a base portion. Forexample, the operation 610 may include removing glass around the portionof the workpiece that is to become the protruding portion. In somecases, this portion of the operation 610 may be omitted when theprotruding portion is formed via a molding operation. The operation 610may further include drilling one or more through-holes in the protrudingportion. The operation 610 may involve one or more of a computernumerical control (CNC) machining process such as a CNC milling process,a CNC grinding process, and/or a CNC drilling process. In some cases,the protruding portion (e.g., the protruding portion 436) has athickness greater than about 1 mm and less than or equal to about 3 mmand the base portion 438 has a thickness greater than about 0.5 mm andless than about 2 mm after operation 610. Optionally, the glass membermay be washed following the operation 610.

The process 600 further includes an operation 620 of forming a textureon the protruding portion of the glass member. The operation 620 mayinclude using a mechanical treatment to mechanically remove glassmaterial from the protruding portion of the glass member. Mechanicaltreatments include grinding operations, polishing operations, orcombinations thereof. Typically the operation 620 involves removingglass material from the surface of the protruding portion usingparticles of an abrasive material, such cubic boron nitride, diamond, orsilicon carbide. When the operation 620 involves multiple mechanicaltreatment steps, the earlier steps typically use a coarser abrasive thanthe later steps. The grinding operation may be CNC grinding processusing a fixed abrasive material (e.g., metal or resin bonded to thegrinding tool). The polishing operation may use a loose abrasivematerial, which may be supplied in a slurry to a polishing pad. In somecases, a polishing operation may have a polishing depth (the depth ofthe glass material removed) which is less than the full height of thesurface features resulting from a previous grinding or polishingoperation. In some cases, the operation 620 may produce a texture on araised region of the protruding portion (e.g., a region similar toregion 446 in FIG. 4). Optionally, the glass member may be washedfollowing the operation 620.

The process 600 further includes an operation 630 of forming a textureon the base portion of the glass member. In some cases, the operation630 is different than the operation 620. For example, the operation 630may use a different technique than the operation 620 in forming thetexture of the base portion. In some cases, the operation 630 may alsoproduce a texture on a side or peripheral region of the protrudingportion (e.g., a region similar to region 447 of FIG. 4). Further, insome cases the operation 630 may texture both the base and theprotruding portion of the member and then the operation 620 may furthertexture the protruding portion of the member. Optionally, the glassmember may be washed following the operation 630.

In some embodiments, the operation 630 may include a sequence ofmechanical removal steps to remove glass material from the surface ofthe base portion. In some cases, the final step in the sequence mayproduce a smoother texture than the texture produced by the operation620. For example, the final mechanical removal step of the operation 630may use a finer abrasive and/or apply lesser force than is used in theoperation 620. In some cases, operation 630 produces a texturecorresponding to that of a polished surface.

In some cases, the operation 630 may include a mechanical removal stepfollowed by an etching step. For example, the mechanical removal stepmay involve directing a stream of abrasive particles at the base portionusing a wet or dry grit blasting process. Following the grit blasting, achemical etching technique may be used to further remove glass materialfrom the glass member. Some or all of the protruding portion of theglass may be shielded using a mask, such as a wax or polymer mask,during the operation 630. The chemical etching may occur in the liquidphase or in a gas phase. Etching techniques also include reactive ionetching, which may use a mixture of a fluorine containing compound suchas CH₄, CHF₃, SF₆ and the like in a gas such as argon or xenon. The etchtreatment may etch the glass cover member to a sufficient depth toremove at least some of the small pits, small fissures, or other suchfeatures formed during grit blasting.

Other techniques for removing a portion of the glass cover member whichmay be used in the operation 630 include, but are not limited to,chemical etching, mechanical removal of material such as abrasivetreatment, laser ablation, lithography in combination with etching, andcombinations thereof. In some cases, a laser ablation technique mayinvolve multiple operations of directing a sequence of laser pulses ontoa surface of the glass member.

The process 600 further includes an operation 640 of chemicallystrengthening the glass member. In some cases, the operation 640 maytake place after the operation 620 and the operation 630 have beencompleted. In other cases, the operation 640 may take place prior to thefinal mechanical treatment step (e.g., a polishing step) of theoperation 620 and/or the operation 630 has been completed.

The operation 640 may include an ion exchange operation which chemicallystrengthens the glass cover member. During the ion exchange operation,ions present in the glass material can be exchanged for larger ions in aregion extending from a surface of the glass cover member. The ionexchange may form a compressive stress layer extending from a surface ofthe glass cover member, as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.In some cases, the operation 640 includes multiple ion exchangeoperations. In some embodiments, a compressive stress layer is formed ateach of the textured exterior surface and the interior surface of theglass cover member. A tensile stress layer may be formed between thesecompressive stress layers.

For example, an ion-exchangeable glass material of the glass member mayinclude monovalent or divalent ions such as alkali metal ions (e.g.,Li⁺, Na⁺, or K⁺) or alkaline earth ions (e.g., Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺) which maybe exchanged for other alkali metal or alkaline earth ions. If the glassmember comprises sodium ions, the sodium ions may be exchanged forpotassium ions. Similarly, if the glass member comprises lithium ions,the lithium ions may be exchanged for sodium ions and/or potassium ions.In some embodiments, the compressive stress layer extends to a depth (orthickness) in the glass member which is greater than a lowest depth ofthe surface texture.

In an example, the chemical strengthening process involves exposing theglass member to a medium containing the larger ion, such as by immersingthe glass member in a bath containing the larger ion or by spraying orcoating the glass member with a source of the ions. For example, a saltbath comprising the ion of interest (e.g., a potassium nitrate bath) maybe used for ion exchange. Suitable temperatures for ion exchange areabove room temperature and are selected depending on processrequirements. The ion exchange process may be conducted at a temperaturebelow the strain point of the glass. The glass member may be cooledfollowing the ion exchange operation. Depending on the factors alreadydiscussed above, a compression layer as deep as about 10-250 microns canbe formed in the glass member. The surface compressive stress (CS) maybe from about 300 MPa to about 1100 MPa. A mask can be used to shieldportions of the glass member from ion exchange as desired. Optionally,the glass member is washed after the ion exchange operation 640.

In some embodiments, the operations of the process 600 may be performedin a different order than shown in FIG. 6. For example, some or all ofthe operation 630 may precede some or all of the operation 620, so thatthe base portion of the member may be at least partially textured beforethe protruding portion. Further, an operation of forming one or morethough holes in the glass member may occur after one or more of thesteps of operations 620 and/or 630. In addition, process 600 may includeone or more additional operations. For example, the process 600 mayinclude a separate or additional operation of forming a texture on aside or peripheral region of the protruding portion of the member. Inaddition, the process 600 may include a washing operation, a polishingoperation, and/or a coating operation.

FIG. 7 schematically shows a glass cover member 734 after a chemicalstrengthening operation. The glass cover member 734 includes aprotruding portion 736, a base region 738, and a textured region 756. Asshown in FIG. 7, a compressive stress layer 794 extends from theexterior surface 744 and a compressive stress layer 796 extends from theinterior surface 742 of the glass cover member 734 (not shown to scale).The compressive stress layer 794 may therefore be referred to as anexterior compressive stress layer and the compressive stress layer 796may therefore be referred to as an interior compressive stress layer.The tensile stress layer 795 is positioned between the compressivestress layers 794 and 796. In the example of FIG. 7, the compressivestress layer 794 has substantially the same depth as the compressivestress layer 796. However, this example is not limiting and in somecases the depth of the compressive stress layer 794 may be differentfrom that of the compressive stress layer 796. For example, the depth ofthe compressive stress layer 794 may be substantially greater than thatof the compressive stress layer 796.

As examples, the depth of the compressive stress layer 794 may be from75 microns to 250 microns, from 100 microns to 250 microns, or from 125microns to 250 microns. In some cases, a compressive stress layer (e.g.,794, 796, or 798) may have a depth greater than the depth of anysubsurface features remaining from the texturing process. The depth ofthe compressive stress layer 796 may be the same as that of thecompressive stress layer 794 or may be from about 5 microns to about 100microns or from about 5 microns to about 50 microns.

As shown in FIG. 7, the glass cover member 734 also includes acompressive stress layer 798 extending from a wall surface 745 defininga through-hole 735. For example, the compressive stress layer 798 may beformed when the through-hole 735 is formed prior to a chemicalstrengthening operation. The compressive stress layer may have a depthsubstantially the same as that of the compressive stress layer 794 or796, or may have some other depth. The glass cover member 734 may be anembodiment of the glass cover member 134 of FIG. 1B or any other glasscover member described herein.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a glass cover member 834 after a chemicalstrengthening operation. The glass cover member 834 includes aprotruding portion 836, a base region 838, and a textured region 856. Asshown in FIG. 8, a compressive stress layer 894 extends from theexterior surface 844 and a compressive stress layer 896 extends from theinterior surface 842 of the glass cover member 834 (not shown to scale).The tensile stress layer 895 is positioned between the compressivestress layers 894 and 896. In the example of FIG. 8, the compressivestress layer 894 has substantially the same depth as the compressivestress layer 896. However, this example is not limiting and in somecases the depth of the compressive stress layer 896 may be differentfrom that of the compressive stress layer 894. For example, the depth ofthe compressive stress layer may be substantially greater than that ofthe compressive stress layer 894. The depths of the compressive stresslayers may be as previously described for FIG. 7 and for brevity thatdescription is not repeated here.

As shown in FIG. 8, the glass cover member 834 does not include acompressive stress layer extending from a wall surface defining thethrough-hole 835. In some cases, a masking operation may be used toprevent ion exchange along this wall surface. The glass cover member 834may be an embodiment of the glass cover member 134 of FIG. 1B or anyother glass cover member described herein.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a sample electronic device that canincorporate a textured glass component, such as a textured glass covermember. The schematic representation depicted in FIG. 9 may correspondto components of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1A-8 as described above.However, FIG. 9 may also more generally represent other types ofelectronic devices with cover assemblies as described herein.

In embodiments, an electronic device 900 may include sensors 920 toprovide information regarding configuration and/or orientation of theelectronic device in order to control the output of the display. Forexample, a portion of the display 908 may be turned off, disabled, orput in a low energy state when all or part of the viewable area of thedisplay 908 is blocked or substantially obscured. As another example,the display 908 may be adapted to rotate the display of graphical outputbased on changes in orientation of the device 900 (e.g., 90 degrees or180 degrees) in response to the device 900 being rotated.

The electronic device 900 also includes a processor 906 operablyconnected with a computer-readable memory 902. The processor 906 may beoperatively connected to the memory 902 component via an electronic busor bridge. The processor 906 may be implemented as one or more computerprocessors or microcontrollers configured to perform operations inresponse to computer-readable instructions. The processor 906 mayinclude a central processing unit (CPU) of the device 900. Additionally,and/or alternatively, the processor 906 may include other electroniccircuitry within the device 900 including application specificintegrated chips (ASIC) and other microcontroller devices. The processor906 may be configured to perform functionality described in the examplesabove.

The memory 902 may include a variety of types of non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media, including, for example, read accessmemory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable memory(e.g., EPROM and EEPROM), or flash memory. The memory 902 is configuredto store computer-readable instructions, sensor values, and otherpersistent software elements.

The electronic device 900 may include control circuitry 910. The controlcircuitry 910 may be implemented in a single control unit and notnecessarily as distinct electrical circuit elements. As used herein,“control unit” will be used synonymously with “control circuitry.” Thecontrol circuitry 910 may receive signals from the processor 906 or fromother elements of the electronic device 900.

As shown in FIG. 9, the electronic device 900 includes a battery 914that is configured to provide electrical power to the components of theelectronic device 900. The battery 914 may include one or more powerstorage cells that are linked together to provide an internal supply ofelectrical power. The battery 914 may be operatively coupled to powermanagement circuitry that is configured to provide appropriate voltageand power levels for individual components or groups of componentswithin the electronic device 900. The battery 914, via power managementcircuitry, may be configured to receive power from an external source,such as an alternating current power outlet. The battery 914 may storereceived power so that the electronic device 900 may operate withoutconnection to an external power source for an extended period of time,which may range from several hours to several days.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 900 includes one or moreinput devices 918. The input device 918 is a device that is configuredto receive input from a user or the environment. The input device 918may include, for example, a push button, a touch-activated button,capacitive touch sensor, a touch screen (e.g., a touch-sensitive displayor a force-sensitive display), capacitive touch button, dial, crown, orthe like. In some embodiments, the input device 918 may provide adedicated or primary function, including, for example, a power button,volume buttons, home buttons, scroll wheels, and camera buttons.

The device 900 may also include one or more sensors 920, such as a forcesensor, a capacitive sensor, an accelerometer, a barometer, a gyroscope,a proximity sensor, a light sensor, or the like. The sensors 920 may beoperably coupled to processing circuitry. In some embodiments, thesensors 920 may detect deformation and/or changes in configuration ofthe electronic device and be operably coupled to processing circuitrywhich controls the display based on the sensor signals. In someimplementations, output from the sensors 920 is used to reconfigure thedisplay output to correspond to an orientation or folded/unfoldedconfiguration or state of the device. Example sensors 920 for thispurpose include accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and othersimilar types of position/orientation sensing devices. In addition, thesensors 920 may include a microphone, acoustic sensor, light sensor,optical facial recognition sensor, or other types of sensing device.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 900 includes one or moreoutput devices 904 configured to provide output to a user. The outputdevice 904 may include display 908 that renders visual informationgenerated by the processor 906. The output device 904 may also includeone or more speakers to provide audio output. The output device 904 mayalso include one or more haptic devices that are configured to produce ahaptic or tactile output along an exterior surface of the device 900.

The display 908 may include a liquid-crystal display (LCD), alight-emitting diode (LED) display, an LED-backlit LCD display, anorganic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, an active layer organiclight-emitting diode (AMOLED) display, an organic electroluminescent(EL) display, an electrophoretic ink display, or the like. If thedisplay 908 is a liquid-crystal display or an electrophoretic inkdisplay, the display 908 may also include a backlight component that canbe controlled to provide variable levels of display brightness. If thedisplay 908 is an organic light-emitting diode or an organicelectroluminescent-type display, the brightness of the display 908 maybe controlled by modifying the electrical signals that are provided todisplay elements. In addition, information regarding configurationand/or orientation of the electronic device may be used to control theoutput of the display as described with respect to input devices 918. Insome cases, the display is integrated with a touch and/or force sensorin order to detect touches and/or forces applied along an exteriorsurface of the device 900.

The electronic device 900 may also include a communication port 912 thatis configured to transmit and/or receive signals or electricalcommunication from an external or separate device. The communicationport 912 may be configured to couple to an external device via a cable,adaptor, or other type of electrical connector. In some embodiments, thecommunication port 912 may be used to couple the electronic device 900to a host computer.

The electronic device 900 may also include at least one accessory 916,such as a camera, a flash for the camera, or other such device. Thecamera may be part of a camera assembly which may be connected to otherparts of the electronic device 900 such as the control circuitry 910.

As used herein, the terms “about,” “approximately,” “substantially,”“similar,” and the like are used to account for relatively smallvariations, such as a variation of +/−10%, +/−5%, +/−2%, or +/−1%. Inaddition, use of the term “about” in reference to the endpoint of arange may signify a variation of +/−10%, +/−5%, +/−2%, or +/−1% of theendpoint value. In addition, disclosure of a range in which at least oneendpoint is described as being “about” a specified value includesdisclosure of the range in which the endpoint is equal to the specifiedvalue.

The following discussion applies to the electronic devices describedherein to the extent that these devices may be used to obtain personallyidentifiable information data. It is well understood that the use ofpersonally identifiable information should follow privacy policies andpractices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industryor governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. Inparticular, personally identifiable information data should be managedand handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorizedaccess or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearlyindicated to users.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specificembodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustrationand description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theembodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations arepossible in view of the above teachings.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a display; anenclosure at least partially surrounding the display and comprising: afront cover assembly including a front glass member positioned over thedisplay; and a rear cover assembly including a rear glass memberdefining a protruding portion defining an opening and defining atextured region having a gloss value less than 50 as measured at 60degrees; and a camera assembly coupled to an interior surface of therear cover assembly and including a camera module positioned at leastpartially within the opening.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein: the enclosure further comprises a housing positioned betweenthe front cover assembly and the rear cover assembly; the housingcomprises a pair of metal segments separated by a dielectric segment;the rear glass member further defines a base portion surrounding theprotruding portion; and the protruding portion extends outward from thebase portion.
 3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein a ratio of athickness of the protruding portion to a thickness of the base portionis from 1.5 to 2.5.
 4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein therear glass member includes a compressive stress layer extending from anexterior surface of the base portion and an exterior surface of theprotruding portion.
 5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein thecamera assembly is bonded to the interior surface of the rear coverassembly by an adhesive layer thereby limiting a bending-induced tensilestress along the textured region.
 6. The electronic device of claim 2,wherein the textured region comprises surface features resulting frommechanical grinding and polishing.
 7. The electronic device of claim 6,wherein: the camera assembly is coupled to an interior surface of theprotruding portion; and the protruding portion has a translucentappearance.
 8. An electronic device comprising: an enclosure including acover member formed from a glass material and defining: an exteriorsurface comprising: a raised region defining a first texture comprisingsurface features having a root mean square height from 0.2 microns to 2microns; and a base region defining a second texture different than thefirst texture, the raked region protruding with respect to the baseregion; and a through-hole extending from the raked region to aninterior surface of the cover member; and a camera assembly coupled tothe interior surface of the cover member and comprising a camera modulepositioned at least partially in the through-hole.
 9. The electronicdevice of claim 8, wherein: the second texture has second surfacefeatures having a second root mean square height; the root mean squareheight of the first texture is a first root mean square height; and thefirst root mean square height of the first texture is greater than thesecond root mean square height of the second texture.
 10. The electronicdevice of claim 9, wherein the second root mean square height of thesecond texture is from 1 nm to 125 nm.
 11. The electronic device ofclaim 8, wherein the surface features of the first texture define a meanpeak curvature (SSc) ranging from 0.5 microns− to 2 microns⁻¹.
 12. Theelectronic device of claim 8, wherein: the raised region defines aplateau; and the exterior surface further defines a side regionextending from the base region to the raised region.
 13. The electronicdevice of claim 8, wherein an end of the camera module is flush with theraised region.
 14. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein: anexterior compressive stress layer extends into the glass material fromthe raised region and the base region of the exterior surface; and aninterior compressive stress layer extends into the glass material fromthe interior surface.
 15. An electronic device comprising: an enclosureincluding: a front cover assembly comprising a front glass member; and arear cover assembly comprising: a first glass portion having a firstthickness and defining a textured region having a translucent appearanceand defining:surface features having: a mean peak curvature (SSc)ranging from 0.5 microns¹ to 2 microns¹ and a root mean square slope(Sdq) from 0.1 to 1; and an opening positioned in the textured region;and a second glass portion at least partially surrounding the firstglass portion and having a second thickness less than the firstthickness; a camera assembly coupled to an interior surface of the rearcover assembly, the camera assembly comprising a camera modulepositioned at least partially within the opening; and a displaypositioned below the front cover assembly.
 16. The electronic device ofclaim 15, wherein the surface features define an autocorrelation lengthfrom 3 microns to 25 microns.
 17. The electronic device of claim 15,wherein: the first glass portion has a thickness greater than 1 mm andless than or equal to 2 mm; and the second glass portion has a thicknessgreater than 0.5 mm and less than 1 mm.
 18. The electronic device ofclaim 15, wherein: the rear cover assembly further comprises apolymer-based coating disposed along an interior surface of the secondglass portion; and an interior surface of the first glass portion isfree of the polymer-based coating.
 19. The electronic device of claim18, wherein the camera assembly includes a support structure and thesupport structure limits bending of the rear cover assembly.
 20. Theelectronic device of claim 15, further comprising a wireless chargingassembly coupled to the interior surface of the rear cover assembly.